Hello everyone! So, finally we received all answers from our participants from MARSocial author network. Are you excited to read the answers yet? Question #5 is “There was recently a message on ‘Books and Writers’ saying ‘please stop giving your books away’. What do you feel about this?” from Kathy.
Let’s check out the answers from all 11 author participants !
1) Coleman Weeks
That is the beauty of self-publishing and being an indie, we can do as we like with our work, to each his own.
2) Viv Drewa
If it’s for a contest I think that’s OK. I did give my new releases away at first but decided not to anymore.
3) K. J. Rollinson
I am in agreement in giving your books away free. I do not publish to make money (although it would be great if I did). For me to be published is for my own satisfaction. Also, I think to promote your book for a free period, say for four weeks, can be an advertisement. I cannot remember the name, but one author recently promoted their book free on Amazon and was downloaded thousands of time and a publishing house picked up their book and it is now a best seller.
4) Sam Reese
I don’t know that I have an opinion one way or the other, though I will say that I think art should be shared and that an artist should be rewarded for his or her work. So, I hope that’s as clear as mud.
5) Neil McGowan
As a writer, my goal is to reach as many readers as possible; as a reader, I know that I’m more likely to try an unknown author if I can read one of their books for free. I’ve discovered many great new authors like this, and have gone on to buy some of their other work. I think people can be put off trying books that fall slightly outside their usual choices if they have to pay for them – if they can be enticed to try new stuff for free, then I think everyone benefits – the reader gains a new writer and the writer gains a new reader. It’s great doing something I love and getting paid for it as well, but the pay check isn’t the reason I write. But I have to say, the sense of reward when someone pays you to read something you’ve written is fantastic.
6) Marion Lovato
Since I feel that I’m still new to the publishing industry, I often wondered why people would give their books away. I know I need every penny I can make. However, looking at the other side of the coin, if you can interest someone in your books with a free one, you would have a reader for life.
7) Jaro Berce
I would answer with my thought: »Knowledge is the only good that, when shared, there is more of it around and you don’t have any less of it!« and books are full of knowledge.
8) Marie Lavender
I am a total Libra on this topic. I understand the message. They are trying to discourage it because, as new or indie authors, we don’t reap any profits from it. Although I do agree on some level, I also realize that word of mouth is everything in this business. What better way to spread the word about your book than for a reader to tell his/her friends about it? So, let me revise the original statement a bit. “Don’t blatantly give your books away.” Meaning, sure, offer a brief free period on Amazon. And definitely promote it. Run giveaways now and then with multi-author events if you find them. Do a contest on your blog. Don’t offer free books all the time because you’re devaluing your work. But, do offer readers who haven’t even heard of you the chance to sample your work.
9) LaRae Parry
I feel who ever said that needs to mind his or her own business. Um, we can do whatever we want with our books. I was mad the other day and even threw mine. To each his own.
10) Theresa Moretimer
I never saw the article so I really can’t comment on that one.
11) Annie Edmonds
Thanks Kathy, I haven’t read that article. This is one question I don’t mind answering. For a while now I have been watching writers give their books away for free. We’ve all done it. And I think it can be used as a tool to get readers to find out who we are.
Or if you have a second book or a third to promote, then giving the first away is a good way to bring the readers to the writer’s work. And if giving your book away gets the readers to actually read our books how can it be wrong, Right?
But then you have the writers that give every book they write away. So why would readers even search out books they have to pay for when they can get so many for free? And then do they even read those free books. Or do the free books get pushed to the back of the list of books to read? I don’t know.
Look, we know that for an authors story to hit the big leagues its like looking for a needle in a haystack. Everyday there’s more and more writers publishing their books. And Maybe we all should stick together and only give free books one month out of the year. Then maybe readers would search through the forest of books and hopefully find an author that might have never been discovered if not for having to pay for that book.
The next question is “If you could be transported into one of your stories as a character, would you or would you stay as far away from it as possible?” from Sam Reese. Stay tuned with us for the next post !
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